St. Louis Cardinals: Carlos Martinez Removed, Panic!

Facing the Pittsburgh Pirates, St. Louis Cardinals pitcher, Carlos Martinez, was suddenly removed from the contest in the fourth inning.  Flares aloft!

Having surrendered one run already, Carlos Martinez, tonight’s starter for the St. Louis Cardinals, was suddenly removed from the game in the fourth inning.  The twittersphere erupted.  Fans panicked.

In what is certain to be a pivotal series against the Pirates- which will be repeated again this season- it is paramount that the Cardinals rotation hold solid and true.  Of late, Martinez has appeared to be the ace of the squad and has completely held his own.  Entering tonight’s contest, Martinez held 2.60 ERA and seemed to have complete control of his stuff (a change from seasons past).

While flu-like symptoms have plagued the Cardinals of late (read: Kolton Wong’s illness and struggles), Martinez entered tonight’s game with strong promise.  This evaporated quickly as he presented as laboring.  After recording the first out in the fourth and leaving the bases loaded, Martinez simply could not continue and was removed.

Tylor Lyons spelled Martinez’s relief and was doing well but- at the point of writing this post- has just surrendered a 2-run home run to Jung Ho Kang giving the Pirates a 3-0 lead.

After much speculation by fans (and much panic), it was released by the team (felt more like a dribble than a release) that Martinez exited the game due to fatigue.

While the flu explanation fits and feels better, I enjoyed the following tweet released as comedic relief:

All things said, let us all hope that Carlos heals quickly, drinks plenty of fluids and returns to his ace approach the next time he climbs the mound.

Next: David Freese Returns to Busch Stadium Tonight

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